The determined leadership and management of the headteacher are good and have been significant factors in the school’s recent progress.  The headteacher and the senior staff have a clear understanding of where further work is needed and have identified well considered strategies for making more necessary improvements.  They have successfully shown they know how to move the school forward.  As a consequence, the school’s capacity for further improvement is secure, and it is now providing satisfactory value for money.

The school’s new key areas for improvement are:

• Raise the standards that all pupils achieve further, by ensuring they make consistently good progress over time.
• Improve the use of ICT across the curriculum.
• Improve the quality of teaching further so that more of it is good.
• Raise attendance further.

We remain very hopeful of even greater improvement in results this year.  This confidence is based upon the hard work of the pupils themselves and the willingness of parents to support the school, especially getting their children to extra sessions. 

The school has continued to retain staff and recruit new staff.  This reflects a growing confidence within the school and for those who apply for posts from outside of the school.  

We are seeking to develop teachers who are leaders and have a commitment to schools as learning communities. It should be our intention to foster expectations within the pupils with regards to further education and job opportunities.  To see them develop skills that create independent learners and thoughtful and participative citizens.

Innovation through the introduction of the use of interactive whiteboards across the school and the fostering of a shared ethos of drawing on staff expertise as lead professionals will be seen as major drivers in the life of the school if it is to progress. 

This will be further enriched by a clear strategic plan that recognises that these kinds of learning opportunities can only become embedded if the school supports teacher learning through the provision of time and resources.  We need to recognise, and plan for, the need to have structures within the school that support intellectual and creative thinking that release staff and therefore pupil potential.  Training will be an essential aspect of any improvement in teaching and learning within the school. 

The Learning School aims to:

• Develop active strategies to promote imagination and creativity to foster positive self esteem, so that everyone can access lifelong learning and personal development;
• Develop high expectations of young people and the community in order to raise aspirations and achievement;
• Disseminate successful teaching across the whole school, developing multiple intelligences and creative thinking;
• Promote excellence and creativity in every classroom within the school and across the city, through staff development and team teaching;
• Shape our pupils into confident citizens who are prepared to meet the opportunities and challenges of a modern multi-cultural society in a creative and imaginative way.

We have continued to ensure your children are as safe as possible in school by continuing to work on the building and improve its facilities.

The school and leisure services commitment to opening up our facilities to the community means we have a seen a dramatic rise in usage of the sports centre.  We are also working closely with the LEA to ensure that the Beverley Road Library is renovated and made available to the school and the community.  Developing a role in the community is very much at the heart of what we stand for as a school.

The school is also beginning the bidding process to become a Specialist College in ICT and Digital Media.  This will bring a further £500,000 into the school to allow us to develop our ICT systems to ensure pupils get opportunities to develop skills that colleges and employers demand.

The school will launch its website in September 2006.  This will increase communication within the school; and eventually allow pupils to access their work from home.

As I stated at the start: the school has made progress this year.  It will continue to do so.  I know, from the time I have been in the school, that parents and pupils want the same as the staff.  That is, for Endeavour to be a school that everyone is proud of; that ensures that pupils of all abilities and interests achieve their potential; and sees children coming to school excited and wanting to be here.